Bernard Walsh/History/A&amp;E Networks
Vikings began its raid on the small screen last season, coming away with a bounty of ratings riches. Surprising everyone, the show became the number one new cable series of the year with an average of over 4 million viewers. Now Vikings is sailing back to the small screen with an ambitious, dark, and dangerous new season.
When we last left off our favorite raider Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) was battling with brother Rollo (Clive Standen) while complicating his love life. On a raid he spent time with the beautiful Princess Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland) while at home his wife Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) was dealt the crushing blow of seeing daughter Gita die. And former monk Athelstan (George Blagden) was finally starting to take to the Viking way of life.
Hollywood.com was lucky enough to chat with Vikings stars Travis Fimmel, George Blagden, and Alyssa Sutherland to get the scope on Season 2. Here’s what they let slip:
Athelstan has embraced the Viking way of life... or has he?As the season begins, Athelstan has seemingly thrown his lot in with the Vikings entirely. But has he really given up on his Christian faith?
“We leave Athelstan in Season 1 in a very conflicted place. The most interesting characters to play as an actor and watch as an audience are the ones that have deep conflicts running throughout. It would have been far too easy to make Athelstan a completely converted pagan and gung-ho into Viking life,” actor George Blagden said about his character.
“What you see throughout the first few episodes of Season 2 is an attempt and potentially a bit of a bluff on his part. Hopefully what we’ve been able to capture this season is the ongoing conflict that Athelstan has.”
Ragnar’s love life gets complicatedWith his relationship with the tough-as-nails Lagertha on the rocks, Ragnar spends some quality time with the beautiful Princess Aslaug. The repercussions of their momentary fling are far-reaching in Season 2, especially when Aslaug shows up in town pregnant.
“He wants it to be like the Brady Bunch, Ragnar does,” star Travis Fimmel said about Ragnar’s hope of combining both families. “People are putting 21st century values on it, but that stuff happened back then. He had to give it a shot anyway, you know?”
Bjorn grows upSometime in the first four episodes, we jump forward in time four years. This allows little Bjorn to grow up into The Hunger Games actor Alexander Ludgwig.
“We loved Nathan O’Toole, he’s such a great little actor and we were really sad to see him leave. But Alexander’s fantastic too, so he was very well replaced,” Fimmel said. “And he’s a big, big boy. He grows quick in four years.”
Lagertha changes in Season 2Her husband’s betrayal and her daughter's death lead to a much different Lagertha in Season 2.
“Lagertha seems to be chasing a bit more power now,” Fimmel said. “She wants to be Earl. She’s had a taste of power and she’s more about that now.”
Aslaug isn’t a homewreckerAslaug’s appearance on the scene broke up power couple Ragnar and Lagertha, a relationship fans were already deeply invested in after only nine episodes.
“I think it’s really cool that we get to bring this idea to modern audiences,” actress Alyssa Sutherland said. “It’s interesting to me how they struggle with the idea and dilute it down into Aslaug being a “homewrecker” or the other woman, and I question whether that concept would have even existed back then. I like the complication of that storyline.”
Sutherland points out that Aslaug’s goal wasn’t to break up Ragnar and Lagertha when she shows up in town pregnant.
“It seems like a bold move, but what other pregnant chick wouldn’t chase down the baby daddy?”
But Aslaug might have special powersThe world of Vikings has always been filled with mysticism and Princess Aslaug is no different. In Season 2, we find out she might have the power of second sight.
“What I love about the way [writer and creator] Michael Hirst does it is you’re not totally sure if these magical elements that he weaves in every now and then are really happening or if it’s just what they believed at the time,” Sutherland said. “I like that it’s left up to the viewer to decide. I certainly think that Aslaug, whether she was a seeress or not, she certainly believed it and the people around her believed it.”
The season starts with a dramatic battle sceneSeason 2 gets off to a action-packed start with a full-tilt battle between brothers Ragnar and Rollo. But they’re not the only ones doing battle.
“The director shouted ‘cut’ and there was silence and you could just hear this giddy laughter soaring over the forest. And it was me, standing amongst the shield wall, just off my face on some adrenaline high,” said Blagden of his first Viking battle. “Because there’s no pretending; when they smash into the shield wall they really smash into the shield wall.”
Series star Fimmel remembers the dramatic season-opening battle a little differently though.
“Those two days we shot it were some of the hottest days on record in Ireland. A lot of people passed out that day and there were a few injuries,” Fimmel said. “That’s what I remember most about that day.”
Things remain complicated between Ragnar and Rollo How do you fix a relationship like Ragnar and Rollo’s? The two brothers have found themselves almost consistently at odds since the series began, since Rollo’s jealousy often transforms into betrayal.
“It’s going to be pretty hard to ever trust Rollo again,” Fimmel says. “But he’s blood and that’s an important thing to Ragnar. There are certainly big obstacles to overcome with Rollo. The two brothers have a good arc this season, and it’s a lot different from last season.”
Vikings returns for Season 2 on February 27 at 10 PM on the History channel. Will you be watching?
Follow @Hollywood_com

Newly-released documents reveal investigators from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) suspected Mafia bosses of fixing Muhammad Ali's historic fight with Sonny Liston. Ali stunned the boxing world in 1964 when he defeated Liston as a rank outsider, snatching the World Heavyweight title.
Liston had thrown in the towel before the start of the seventh round, but now documents released in the U.S. suggest the fighter, who died in 1970, made more than $1 million (£625,000) by betting against himself in the bout.
It was alleged known Mafia-affiliated mobsters in Las Vegas, where the fight was staged, teamed up with Liston to bet on Ali, and that a subsequent magazine article detailing huge gambling losses for the Mob was a "cover-up" to hide the fix.

Miley Cyrus' concert promoters have slammed reports suggesting the pop superstar's tour is in jeopardy as a result of complaints over her raunchy onstage antics, insisting the rumours are completely false. The Wrecking Ball hitmaker has been stirring up controversy on her Bangerz trek since kicking off the shows in Vancouver, Canada last week (14Feb14), by simulating oral sex on a man wearing a Bill Clinton face mask, groping a backing dancer's butt and parading around the stage in skimpy costumes, including one leotard with a cannabis leaf design.
Bloggers at Australia's The Fix claimed her management team had been inundated with messages from angry parents over the explicit show amid rumours some U.S. venue bosses were threatening to pull the plug on her gigs.
However, executives at Live Nation have moved to silence the accusations and have given their full backing to the former Hannah Montana star in a statement issued to Eonline.com, which reads: "There is no truth whatsoever to any stories or rumors of venues pulling out of the Bangerz Tour.
"Miley has created a tour that's big, spectacular, entertaining and everything you would expect from Miley Cyrus. Reviews have been amazing and most important, fans are loving the show and having a great time."
And Cyrus, who will continue the trek in Anaheim, California on Thursday night (20Feb14), has addressed the allegations herself on her Twitter.com blog, making light of the claims by writing, "You can't say I didn't warn you. Now sit back relax & enjoy the show. #bangerztour...
"Save your complaints for the McDonalds drive thru when they forget the 'fries with that' (sic)."

WENN.com
Television could use some more Stephen King. The best-selling author's work is already the basis for Under the Dome, which is back in production on its second season. Presently, Universal is shopping a pilot from his short-story Ayana, about a blind girl that can seemingly perform miracles. While King's material has been used as film fodder for nearly 40 years (starting with the original Carrie all the way back in 1976), his work has largely been underutilized on TV, mostly popping up now and then in miniseries form. Given the output from the prolific writer over the years, however, there's plenty more of King's stories that would work as an actual series. Here are five that are just screaming for a spot on someone's schedule.
The Dark Tower
For years, people have been trying to develop movies based on King's bleak Dark Tower series, which follows a mysterious gunslinger named Roland on a quest through an odd world that's part Old West and part sci-fi. Instead of trying to give the story the same treatment as J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of The Rings books, the guide should be George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones, which has thrived on cable. At one point, Warner Bros. considered doing both a movie and TV show (for sister company HBO) from the books, but ultimately passed. With a complex story that has its own mythology and language spread over eight books and multiple side stories, The Dark Tower could run on HBO or Showtime for a long time.
The Regulators
The novel, about an Ohio town terrorized by gun-toting thugs that are taking direction from a possessed autistic boy, built an impressive group of subsidiary characters not unlike Under the Dome. The Regulators was a companion piece to King's Desperation, which was already made into a TV movie. Following the strange happenings in a Midwestern town, which already has a built-in parallel universe thanks to the books, the story could provide plenty of material for a number of seasons.
The Running Man
Yes, it already got the big screen treatment starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, but there's a whole lot about the novel's set-up that could be mined for a series. The story, set in a not-too-distant dystopian America, is about a gameshow where contestants are given a head start to go anywhere in the world before they are hunted down and killed on television. Run for 30 days without being killed and you win. Taking elements from reality shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race that audiences have become accustomed to, and elevating them to a strange extreme, would make for some exciting (and darkly funny) serialized viewing.
The Ten O'Clock People
In King's short story, a smoker trying to quit can suddenly see through the disguises of any number of people, including the Vice President, and discovers that they're really monsters. The smoking angle wouldn't work any more, but it's an easy fix to come up with another explanation of why certain people can see through the disguises. Having a resistance group trying to convince people that there are monsters among us would make for a nice mythology story in the same vein of Lost or Fringe.
Apt Pupil
The story of a teenager manipulated into killing by his neighbor, who turns out to be a Nazi war criminal, was already the basis of a movie with Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro. Change the older character from a Nazi to a terrorist living a hidden life in a California suburb, however, and you could have a show that is a combination of Breaking Bad and The Americans. Who wouldn't want to see Walter White as a terrorist?

Marvel Studios
Fox has just announced the cast of Josh Trank's upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, and things are looking a little left of center. Joining Michael B. Jordan's Johnny Storm will be Miles Teller as Reed Richards, Kate Mara as Sue Storm, and Jamie Bell as The Thing. And while some of these casting's aren't quite set in stone, this is increasingly looking like the final lineup for the film. Saying that the new movie is casting against type would be an understatement. The new cast is virtually unrecognizable compared to the 2005 version, and the internet is erupting in reactions from every inch of the emotional spectrum. From seething rage, to elation, and even mild confusion, The casting of Marvel's first family has people divided in earnest. Here are our thoughts on the casting choices.
MILES TELLERas Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic
A24 via Everett Collection
How He Fits: He kind of doesn't. At all.
How He Deviates: There’s a loveable goofiness to Miles Teller, but we're not quite connecting the dots between him and Reed Richards just yet. He’s not quite nerdy enough, and he definitely doesn’t have a dignified scientist aura to him. We don’t see much of Reed Richards in Teller at all.
How He Compares to Ioan Gruffudd: Worse. Gruffudd was one of the few bright spots of the largely banal first film. He really looked the part of Reed Richards.
Public Consensus: The one phrase to sum up the twitter reactions would be a resounding "Uhhh….What?" People seem to be mostly just confused by the casting choice, and many are complaining that Teller is simply too young to play Reed. Twitter user @dylhorgan asled, "This week in bad superhero movie casting: How is Miles Teller even close to being old enough to play Reed Richards?"
Final Assessment: Teller, for our money, is the biggest question mark of the casting announcement. There isn’t anything about the actor that screams “Mr. Fantastic”, though he was obviously cast for a reason. I guess we’re going to have to wait and see on this one.
KATE MARAas Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman
Netflix
How She Fits: Physically, Mara seems to be a match for the Sue Storm in the comics, especially since she’s recently dyed her hair blonde. Personality-wise, she seems like a solid choice as well, since Sue is somewhat reserved and shy – Mara plays a lot of quieter characters. Between her ambitious reporter on House of Cards and her hacker/revolution-leader in Transcendence, Mara shouldn’t have any trouble portraying Sue’s genius intellect.
How She Deviates: Mara’s characters tend to be a lot darker than Sue Storm, who gives off a more innocent, all-American vibe, which could affect the way that Sue is written for this reboot.
How She Compares to Jessica Alba: Mara’s definitely a better choice than Alba, who, while not terrible, wasn’t given much to do other than run around and look pretty.
Public Consensus: Fan response to the casting has been overwhelmingly positive. To quote Twitter user @Roby_Aguilar: "OMG. OMG. OMG. MILES TELLER, MICHAEL B. JORDAN, JAMIE BELL &amp; KATE MARA IN FANTASTIC FOUR?!?!?!?!?! God is real. GOD. IS. REAL."
Final Assessment: Mara’s a good choice for Sue Storm. She’s a talented actress, and she doesn’t fit the “bombshell” constraints that female actresses in superhero films tend to get stuck in, which means she will hopefully get more to do onscreen than Alba did. And since it seems to have been the least outrage-stirring casting choice that the team behind this reboot has made, she also seems to be approved by the fans. She generally comes across darker and more serious than Sue is, though, and since we haven’t really seen her play particularly upbeat characters, that could keep her from meshing well with the rest of the cast
MICHAEL B. JORDANas Johnny Storm/The Human Torch
20th Century Fox Film via Everett Collection
How He Fits: Jordan has the natural charm and charisma to play a freewheeling ladies man, but he also has a daring quality to him that a character like Johnny Storm needs. He might not have the necessary physique quite yet, but a quick trip to the gym can fix that.
How He Deviates: The biggest deviation in all of the casting news, Michael B. Jordan is nlack whereas Johnny Storm has always been portrayed as a white man. Cue the Twitter riots.
How He Compares to Chris Evans: Better. Now don't get us wrong, Evans played a fine Johnny Storm. But over the past few years, Jordan has proven himself to be a monumental young talent. While Evans certainly had Johnny Storm's trademark wit in spades, Jordan might be able to mine the character's hidden depths while still cracking wise and getting the girls.
Public Consensus: Many have commented on Jordan’s race being an issue, but (optimistically!) an emerging tide of Twitter users are trumpeting the actor's talents, laying waste to the idiotic arguments that a black Human Torch is "sacrilege." Twitter user @ZachLNFS tweeted “Michael B. Jordan is the one bright spot in the Fantastic Four cast and, of course, the most derided. Good job, Fox. Good job, internet." Other’s are wondering how Kate Mara and Michael B. Jordan are going to play siblings. We're guessing adoption.
Final Assessment: The actor clearly has the goods to play a terrific Johnny Storm, despite what some of the seedier corners of the Twittersphere think about race in comic books. Ignorant tirades aside, he’s clearly the best actor of the bunch and a considerable step up from the previous Human Torch.
JAMIE BELLas Ben Grimm/The Thing
Summit Entertainment via Everett Collection
How He Fits: Once Ben Grimm becomes The Thing, he has a lot of trouble dealing with his new powers, which take a toll on him emotionally. Bell plays a lot of brooding characters, which means he would have no trouble portraying all of the inner turmoil that The Thing is experiencing.
How He Deviates: Ben and The Thing are huge, strong, muscular guys, whereas Bell is… not. This is less important after he turns into The Thing, but since we don’t know how much of the group’s origins the film will focus on, it might be difficult to believe that Bell spent his childhood protecting Teller from bullies. Ben’s also a pretty happy-go-lucky guy, while Bell tends to come across as serious and brooding.
How He Compares to Michael Chiklis: When it comes to giant orange space rock monsters, nobody beats Michael Chiklis.
Public Consensus: It’s pretty mixed. There are plenty of people who are excited about his casting, but many are concerned that’s he’s not built enough to play the role properly – for example, Twitter user @BCCrooky said they would "like to see Jamie bell, scrawny Jamie bell who played tinting, as Ben Grimm aka the thing."
Final Assessment: We probably would have swapped Bell and Teller’s roles, if we’re being honest. Bell just seems to work better as a serious, genius scientist, while Teller seems more likely to play his upbeat sidekick. However, Ben has a difficult time dealing with his transformation, which caused a lot of psychological trauma; Bell would definitely be able to play those aspects of the character really well. Since he’ll likely spend most of the film being CGIed into his rocky form, his acting ability is probably more important than his physical appearance in the end.

Miley Cyrus' controversial world tour is reportedly in hot water after just two shows over a flood of complaints about the former child star's sexy antics onstage. The Can't Be Tamed hitmaker kicked off her Bangerz trek in Vancouver, Canada last week (14Feb14) and played the second night of the 60-gig run in Tacoma, Washington on Sunday (16Feb14).
After a short break she is due to resume the concerts in Anaheim, California on Thursday (20Feb14), but new reports suggest the saucy show is already coming under fire following complaints about Cyrus' explicit performance.
During the gigs, the former Hannah Montana star simulates oral sex with a man wearing a Bill Clinton mask, gropes a backing dancer's butt, and parades around the stage in a leotard sporting a cannabis leaf design.
The singer's management team has reportedly been inundated with complaints from angry parents amid rumours some venue bosses are threatening to pull the concerts.
A source tells Australian music blog The Fix, "Miley's management have been flooded with complaints, mainly from parents, since her tour began last week in Canada with calls for the entire tour to be axed. Her team, including management, record label execs (sic) and the entire tour staff including the director, costume department and choreographers, have been called for an emergency meeting as arenas across the U.S. threaten to pull out of the show."

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has offered to reinstate the band's cancelled Australian tour if the promoter behind the axed dates offers him an apology. The heavy metal star axed the group's shows Down Under earlier this month (09Feb14) following a dispute with the organisers of the touring Soundwave festival.
A message posted on the event's official website suggested former Metallica star Jason Newsted had been kicked off the bill at Megadeth's request, prompting Mustaine to vehemently deny the story.
Megadeth subsequently axed their appearances at Soundwave due to "circumstances beyond its control" but Mustaine has now declared he will reinstate the shows if he receives an apology from the festival's outspoken promoter, AJ Maddah, over the Newsted misunderstanding.
In a post on his Facebook.com page, Mustaine writes, "All I asked for was an apology for blaming me for something I didn't do. I am still willing to play, but the promoter would rather not apologise and prefers to say I asked him to lie, which I didn't. Am I the only one that sees how easy it is to fix this? The AJ Maddah that I know is a wise and caring man, and I don't know what has happened to my old friend. My bags are packed Aussie fans."
Maddah later claimed he had tried apologising to Mustaine, but had not been able to contact the rocker, writing in a series of posts on his Twitter.com page, "So here it is Dave. I apologise for whatever slight you think I have done you... So, does this mean tour is back on?... All you are doing by cancelling is punishing the fans who have had no part in any of this."

Actress Malin Akerman has made a quick fix to the tattoo she had inked in dedication to her estranged husband, who she split from last year (13). After six years of marriage, the Couples Retreat star separated from musician Roberto Zincone, and he reportedly filed for divorce in November (13).
Nearly three months after the split, Akerman is eager to put the relationship behind her, altering a large 'Z' she inked on her wrist in honour of her soon-to-be ex-husband's last name.
She posted a photo of the new design on Instagram.com, which boasts a simple 'S' over the 'Z' to represent their 10-month-old son, Sebastian.
She added the caption, "@josecordova thx for the beautiful tattoo #miamiink."
Akerman gave birth to the couple's first child in April (13), just seven months before the split.

British producer Naughty Boy has thrown his support behind a new pet neutering campaign for activists at People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The songwriter, real name Shahid Khan, is fronting the latest celebrity promo by posing with a cute cat for the organisation's new advertisements, which features the tagline, "It's Naughty Not to Neuter".
In a statement, Naughty Boy writes, "There's no excuse for not neutering. Animal shelters are severely crowded with dogs and cats, and that will continue as long as too many puppies and kittens are being born. We can fix the problem by 'fixing' our dogs and cats."
The La La La hitmaker joins the likes of fellow British PETA supporters Sir Paul McCartney, Morrissey, comedian Ricky Gervais and singer Alexandra Burke, who have all lent their backing to previous animal rights campaigns.

Channel 4
While the high school experience has been culturally immortalized on television through countless shows, the experimental college years have rarely been captured accurately on screen. The UK series Fresh Meat perfectly illustrates this magical time period of false confidence, sexual missteps, perpetual poverty, and substance abuse... or, as we know it, higher education. With its third season premiering on Hulu, this UK import is slowly gaining an audience stateside for its college hijinks with a dysfunctional twist.
The familial cultural markers of beer pong, fraternities, and dorms may be missing, but the spirit of awkward inhibition remains the same. The brilliance of the show lies within the diversity of the cast. Five freshman: Vod, Oregon, Josie, Kingsley, JP and one upperclassman live in shared housing off-campus where they're forced to interact mostly with each other with some occasional interlopers.
No longer the clueless freshmen they once were, the crew returns to their decrepit lodgings in Manchester to deal with the fallout over break and a new semester. As anyone who's dealt with random roommates, their chemistry arises out of their contradicting personalities and the way they ground one another while also forcing each other out of his or her comfort zone. Theirs is not a glamorized experience. They work part-time jobs, sleep with their professors, discover bodily fluids in odd places, pull coke-fueled all nighters to write poetry and make mistakes … just like the rest of us.
The collegiate experience calls for a tenuous balance of drama and comedy, but that is what Fresh Meat does best. In the end, these forged friendships happen organically and make for some of the most quotable television moments to date. As Fresh Meat enters the annals of timeless college TV series alongside Undeclared and Felicity, let's take a look back at the dismal track record of some of our American collegiate series.
The problem with many of our beloved teen sitcoms when they transitioned to the college years lies in two parts: one – many of these shows continued past their prime and their character arcs, and two – the whole appeal of college is the excitement of new characters and not dealing with the same drama from high school. Ditching the lockers for dorm rooms does not a successful series make.
Gossip Girl
The series faintest grip on reality was even more apparent when it came to the college years. Watching rich kids backstab each other at private school we will always watch, but watching them shrug their way through the Ivy League leaves us cold. We already had Rory Gilmore for our blue-blooded college experience fix.
Saved by the Bell – The College Years
We’re still reeling from the false fantasy of college that the Baysiders sold to us. Our RA was a prudish senior who studied pharmaceuticals, and not an ex-NFL player. Our high school friends didn't get to live with us and attend our lectures, and our school cafeteria barely passed health inspection rather than resembling an Au Bon Pain.
Dawson's Creek
These kids were spouting SAT vocabulary before ninth grade, so it felt like their college development would be redundant. While this season was laughably bad, it did get a few things right. One of the biggest realizations that come with the college experience is the big fish/small pond effect. Dawson's delusion of thinking he was the second coming of Steven Spielberg was quickly dispelled when he got to USC. When Pacey decided to skip the whole college thing altogether, it was refreshing to see him represent a path many students take – until he became a chef, a security guard, and a stockbroker all within one year.
But Fresh Meat keeps things grounded and funny. Check out the series on Hulu.